Water

This past week was all about water, rainboots and walking the property. This year we saw unusually high levels of precipitation. For many, this has made for a difficult spring and our thoughts are with them. For us, this was sort of a blessing. It allowed us to get a better understanding of how water flows through our land: identify low-lying areas, understand what directions the water drains into and from our property and how fast and understand where our creek expends and how far.

We were able to identify the low lying areas, which were few and far between. Not much for standing water in the lands planned for the market garden, orchards and pastures, which means we won’t have to bring in fill or do much leveling. The areas that were low lying drained within a couple of days and it was evident that all of the water drains towards the creek. Knowing the water drainage direction is an important factor to consider when designing your orchards and market garden layouts.

The creek that runs through the middle of our property will play a huge roll in the ranch: irrigation for plants, home for water fowl and water for animals. The high water allowed us to see parts of the creek that we could easily dredge out in order to expand the water storage to ensure that we have sufficient water supply throughout the year. We did learn a lesson - the dock will need to be tied down next year. I will be sure to capture the dock rescue on video for your viewing pleasure. Now, onto planning the pastures and gardens.